Chef Ian Keith and two of Harvest Cafe’s staff assembling and presenting sushi made from fonia, a gluten-freen grain in the millet family. It is a superfood, is a good source of protein, drought resistant and adaptable to arid climates.

The Food Sustainability Fair—held on World Food Day, October 16th—aimed to educate students about the cycle of food: before the plate, on the plate, and beyond the plate. I wanted to engage students in learning more about where food comes from and where it goes, with a focus on the environmental and social impacts of their food choices.

The idea for the fair started in the spring of 2018 with a desire to bring more awareness of the food cycle to the Rutgers community because many people don’t know where their food comes from or where it ends up after it’s thrown away.

Initially, I reached out to students and clubs that I knew were passionate about these topics, and gathered a group of people to brainstorm on the kind of event we thought would make the most impact. I reached out to organizations and people within the Rutgers and New Brunswick communities who had projects or missions relating to the cycle of food, asking if they would be interested in tabling at the event. Our group continued working on the goal, format, location, and logistics.

Ecology/ Landscape Architect graduate student, Amy Gage, teaching folks about the sustainability of plating native species and all the different food you can make with them. Follow her rooftop native species garden in Manhattan on Instagram @grazetheroof.

Over 200 people attended, sampling nutritious, sustainably harvested food, and many walked away with a better understanding on how they can improve their sustainability practices and support local organizations to empower others.

“Having a thorough understanding of our food cycle allows us to make more informed decisions about the choices we make to decrease our carbon footprint and to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. Going vegan or zero waste may be too extreme for some, but small changes and educating ourselves may positively inform our decisions and opinions. It allows us to confidently voice our beliefs while still being open minded to other opinions.”